Date: 16/05/2003
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Shilowa: Eulogy to Walter Sisulu
EULOGY TO WALTER SISULU BY PREMIER MBHAZIMA SHILOWA
Many words have been used by millions of people here and elsewhere in the world to describe who Walter Sisulu was, what he was, what he stood for and what his death meant to them. Statements and messages were artfully crafted and eloquently delivered.
There is not one statement, one word or phrase that can adequately tell us who Walter Sisulu was, what he stood for and what he meant to all of us. Perhaps if we were to consult our ancestors we would find a better expression to say what Sisulu really meant to us. In Northern Sotho we would say:
Mokgapa o mogolo o wele, dithaga tsa lla boshogoshogo. Le ge gole jwale, moriri o moshweu ke lehumo. Bahu ba hwile ba o llela. Ge ele ditaola tsona tate wa rena Sisulu otlogile a re rutile.
Walter Sisulu, just like millions of other black South Africans, grew up under poverty and endured the pain and suffering that was afflicted by centuries of colonialism and apartheid. He was an ordinary person who lived among ordinary people, ate with them, drank with them and socialised with them.
But as he grew up he developed a clear vision, courage, determination and great ability to find solutions to complex situations. His heroism, humility and leadership earned him the respect and love of millions of our people.
He had the confidence to stand-alone. He had the courage to make tough decisions. He had the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He had not set out to be a leader but became one by the quality of his actions.
Walter Sisulu was a true leader whose actions touched the lives of the people at every step of his life. He was an epitome of a true patriot and the most humane person our country seeks to build.
As a worker he experienced the oppression and exploitation alongside many other black workers. He struggled together with them to free our country from colonialism and apartheid and create better conditions for all the workers. To millions of the workers in our country he will forever remain an icon.
As a businessman Walter Sisulu's approach to business was different from the conventional approach where the main concern for the business is about making money while exploiting the workers and consumers. He regarded business as a means to create opportunities for the poor and underprivileged.
As a revolutionary, Walter Sisulu provided the broadmindedness, strategic and visionary leadership to our movement at a very critical time in the history of our struggle for national liberation.
Having joined the ANC as one of a group of young radicals he, together with his comrades, transformed the ANC from being a largely ineffective protest movement to a mass revolutionary organisation that would change South Africa. During his term as Secretary General, the ANC engaged in more effective mass action such as strikes, boycotts and the defiance campaign. He built the ANC and made it a formidable force that would be capable of bringing about the downfall of apartheid.
Walter was the architect and champion of non-racialism. Passionately committed to a non-racial South Africa he entrenched the principle of non-racialism within the ANC and worked hard to build a non-racial society. He described non-racialism as the leitmotif of our struggle.
Walter understood the importance of alliances between organisations which fought for a similar course. He worked hard to build a strong alliance, which later became known as the congress alliance, between the ANC, South African Communist Party, South African Indian Congress, Congress of Democrats and the South African Congress of Trade Unions based on a common political programme.
Throughout his life he worked hard to build unity among the progressive forces. He has always focussed on the common objective and what the organisations needed to do together to achieve that objective. Even in times of difficulties when some among us were tempted to veer off our common course he would always guide us back to the course that would lead to our common destiny.
Sisulu, whilst he may have started his political life as a nationalist, was very much conscious of the important role of the international community in our national liberation struggle. He laid a foundation for the international solidarity campaign with the people of South Africa. He established contact with the United Nations and other multilateral organisations, foreign countries, civil rights organisations and individuals and placed apartheid on the international peace agenda.
Despite his growth in stature, Walter has never allowed his status as a leader to separate him from the ordinary people. He remained accessible to the ordinary folks. He could relate to anybody everywhere regardless of standing in society.
But Walter was also a family man. He was a passionate husband and a loving and carrying farther. Despite his busy organisational programme and forced absence from home due to harassment by the apartheid security forces, he found time to be with his wife and children.
The Northern Sotho saying to which we referred earlier cannot be a more accurate expression of our feelings about the loss of Walter Sisulu.
Mokgapa o mogolo o wele, dithaga tsa lla boshogoshogo. Le ge gole jwale, moriri o moshweu ke lehumo. Bahu ba hwile ba o llela. Ge ele ditaola tsona tate wa rena Sisulu otlogile a re rutile.
A great man has fallen. But he lived his life to the fullest. He has completed his race. He achieved all that he set out to achieve. But most importantly, he has left us a legacy which will live on in the millions who continue to defend and advance what he stood for.
Let us all pay tribute to our icon, farther and mentor, Walter Sisulu, by living our lives as did and work to build a better South Africa as he taught us.
Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government, 16 May 2003
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gpg.gov.za)
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Shilowa: Eulogy to Walter Sisulu
EULOGY TO WALTER SISULU BY PREMIER MBHAZIMA SHILOWA
Many words have been used by millions of people here and elsewhere in the world to describe who Walter Sisulu was, what he was, what he stood for and what his death meant to them. Statements and messages were artfully crafted and eloquently delivered.
There is not one statement, one word or phrase that can adequately tell us who Walter Sisulu was, what he stood for and what he meant to all of us. Perhaps if we were to consult our ancestors we would find a better expression to say what Sisulu really meant to us. In Northern Sotho we would say:
Mokgapa o mogolo o wele, dithaga tsa lla boshogoshogo. Le ge gole jwale, moriri o moshweu ke lehumo. Bahu ba hwile ba o llela. Ge ele ditaola tsona tate wa rena Sisulu otlogile a re rutile.
Walter Sisulu, just like millions of other black South Africans, grew up under poverty and endured the pain and suffering that was afflicted by centuries of colonialism and apartheid. He was an ordinary person who lived among ordinary people, ate with them, drank with them and socialised with them.
But as he grew up he developed a clear vision, courage, determination and great ability to find solutions to complex situations. His heroism, humility and leadership earned him the respect and love of millions of our people.
He had the confidence to stand-alone. He had the courage to make tough decisions. He had the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He had not set out to be a leader but became one by the quality of his actions.
Walter Sisulu was a true leader whose actions touched the lives of the people at every step of his life. He was an epitome of a true patriot and the most humane person our country seeks to build.
As a worker he experienced the oppression and exploitation alongside many other black workers. He struggled together with them to free our country from colonialism and apartheid and create better conditions for all the workers. To millions of the workers in our country he will forever remain an icon.
As a businessman Walter Sisulu's approach to business was different from the conventional approach where the main concern for the business is about making money while exploiting the workers and consumers. He regarded business as a means to create opportunities for the poor and underprivileged.
As a revolutionary, Walter Sisulu provided the broadmindedness, strategic and visionary leadership to our movement at a very critical time in the history of our struggle for national liberation.
Having joined the ANC as one of a group of young radicals he, together with his comrades, transformed the ANC from being a largely ineffective protest movement to a mass revolutionary organisation that would change South Africa. During his term as Secretary General, the ANC engaged in more effective mass action such as strikes, boycotts and the defiance campaign. He built the ANC and made it a formidable force that would be capable of bringing about the downfall of apartheid.
Walter was the architect and champion of non-racialism. Passionately committed to a non-racial South Africa he entrenched the principle of non-racialism within the ANC and worked hard to build a non-racial society. He described non-racialism as the leitmotif of our struggle.
Walter understood the importance of alliances between organisations which fought for a similar course. He worked hard to build a strong alliance, which later became known as the congress alliance, between the ANC, South African Communist Party, South African Indian Congress, Congress of Democrats and the South African Congress of Trade Unions based on a common political programme.
Throughout his life he worked hard to build unity among the progressive forces. He has always focussed on the common objective and what the organisations needed to do together to achieve that objective. Even in times of difficulties when some among us were tempted to veer off our common course he would always guide us back to the course that would lead to our common destiny.
Sisulu, whilst he may have started his political life as a nationalist, was very much conscious of the important role of the international community in our national liberation struggle. He laid a foundation for the international solidarity campaign with the people of South Africa. He established contact with the United Nations and other multilateral organisations, foreign countries, civil rights organisations and individuals and placed apartheid on the international peace agenda.
Despite his growth in stature, Walter has never allowed his status as a leader to separate him from the ordinary people. He remained accessible to the ordinary folks. He could relate to anybody everywhere regardless of standing in society.
But Walter was also a family man. He was a passionate husband and a loving and carrying farther. Despite his busy organisational programme and forced absence from home due to harassment by the apartheid security forces, he found time to be with his wife and children.
The Northern Sotho saying to which we referred earlier cannot be a more accurate expression of our feelings about the loss of Walter Sisulu.
Mokgapa o mogolo o wele, dithaga tsa lla boshogoshogo. Le ge gole jwale, moriri o moshweu ke lehumo. Bahu ba hwile ba o llela. Ge ele ditaola tsona tate wa rena Sisulu otlogile a re rutile.
A great man has fallen. But he lived his life to the fullest. He has completed his race. He achieved all that he set out to achieve. But most importantly, he has left us a legacy which will live on in the millions who continue to defend and advance what he stood for.
Let us all pay tribute to our icon, farther and mentor, Walter Sisulu, by living our lives as did and work to build a better South Africa as he taught us.
Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government, 16 May 2003
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gpg.gov.za)
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